O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine Amen
INTRODUCTION
THE REAL PRESENCE
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
1323 At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed,
1357 We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts of his creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present.
1391 Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.” The Eucharist is also an anticipation of the heavenly glory
SCRIPTURE
The word of God is so powerful that whatever he commands is carried out. When he says, “Let there be light” Genesis 1:3, at creation, light suddenly appears. At his word, the sun, moon, and stars are brought into existence. The power of that divine word is also in Jesus.
When Jesus tells a paralyzed man, “Rise, take up your pallet, and walk”, the man is immediately healed and begins to walk John 5:8-9. When Jesus tells the dead Lazarus to come out of the tomb, Lazarus comes out risen from the dead. John 11:43-44.
When Jesus took bread and said, “This is my body”, and took wine and said, “This is my blood” Matthew 26:26-28. These sacred words bring about what he says. Catholics believe that the same divine word in Christ that had the power to heal, raise people from the dead, can change bread and wine into his Body and Blood”.
COMMENTARY
HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!
HE IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!
It doesn’t get much better than that but we don’t have to wait until the end of time to unite ourselves with Jesus’ glorious body and blood. At the Last Supper for all time Jesus gave us His greatest gift, His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity to share at every Mass, every day, everywhere in the world!
The Church has historically encouraged the month of April for increased devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. “The Church in the course of the centuries has introduced various forms of Eucharistic worship i.e. visits of devotion to the tabernacles; Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament; solemn processions, especially on the Feast Day of Corpus Christi; and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed .
REFLECTIONS
The Celebration of the Eucharist is a memorial, an act of thanksgiving, and a sacrifice; a memorial of the Last Supper , an act of thanksgiving in gratitude for the gift of salvation and we offer ourselves along with Jesus in sacrifice through the un-bloody offering of bread and wine. “Do this in remembrance of me” Luke 22:19
The Lord Jesus, “the way, and the truth, and the life” John 14:6, speaks to our thirsting, pilgrim hearts, our hearts yearning for the source of life, our hearts longing for truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth in person, drawing the world to himself. In the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus shows us, in particular, the truth about love which is the very essence of God. It proclaims God’s everlasting love and everlasting presence!
If I look at the Eucharist through the lens of Jesus the Bridegroom Messiah, another meaning comes to light. If Jesus is the Bridegroom and the Church is his bride, the Lord’s Supper is not just a memorial, or a banquet of “thanksgiving,” or a sacrifice; it is also a wedding banquet in which Jesus gives himself entirely to his bride, the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. This kind of self-gift is only really possible if the Eucharist is not just a symbol of Jesus, but is truly His body and blood, soul and divinity. It is the “marriage supper of the Lamb” Revelation 19:9,
Jesus’ Passion and death is not about pain and suffering but God’s sacrificial gift of love to us that we might live. In this very messy world of incomprehensible death and tragedy, cling to Jesus, run to Him. Hug him, stay close…..He is our only refuge in this spiritual battle between good and evil.
“TO WHOM SHALL WE GO!” JOHN 6:68
HOLY HOUR OF EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
Christ is present in the Most Blessed Sacrament to manifest his great love for us. You may wish to break the hour into 4 fifteen minute sessions. The first 15 minutes we may devote to the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament…Spend this time in ADORATION. Think of the marvel of this great reality: Christ, the God-Man, is truly present in his divinity as well as his humanity, body and soul before me.
PRAYER OF ADORATION
Lord, thank you for this hour of Eucharistic devotion. I adore you as the infinite and Holy One of God. You and the Father are one and you promised that we will be one in You… May Your Holy Spirit be with us. Send Him constantly to us as You promised. As I look at this mysterious sign, the white host, my eyes tell me nothing of who is there, but faith affirms in my heart that You, my Lord and God, are there. I thank You for this precious gift of faith. Amen.
The next 15 minutes may be devoted to THANKSGIVING. Let words of thanksgiving rise up in your soul, or just simply give thanks to God for his presence here in such a remarkable way. Take time to recall and thank God for other special blessings and wonders of God: your family, vocation, gift of life, opportunity to be in his Presence, special friends, etc. Thank him for his love for you, for his unfailing help in trials and difficulties.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May I live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to me…
Dedicate the next 15 minutes to PETITION. First of all, ask Jesus here present in the Holy Eucharist for the grace he wants most for you: the great blessing of redemption and eternal salvation….for you, for each member of your family, your friends, people of you neighborhood and parish, for all mankind. Pray for conversions… Pray for the sick and lonely, the discouraged, our youth, the unborn, our country, its leaders. for our Holy Father, and for all priests and religious ….Pray for vocations to complete the work of Christ.
PRAYER OF PETITION
Give me yourself, O my God, give yourself to me. Behold I love you…if my love is too weak a thing, grant me to love you more strongly. I cannot measure my love, but let my soul hasten to your embrace… This only do I know that it is not good for me when you are not with me, when you are only outside me. I want you in my very self. All the plenty in the world which is not my God, is utter want. Amen.
Dedicate the last 15 minutes of the Holy Hour to ATONEMENT. A look into one’s own conscience first, for where we sin and where we need to ask for pardon and mercy. Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy! A look into the conscience of the world at large…the demeaning of others, insults and injuries inflicted around the globe, sins against life and the world we live in…are we good stewards…do we welcome the stranger…feed the hungry…care for the sick….. treat others as we wish to be treated….
PRAYER OF CONTRITION
O Lord, forgive me my sins; the sins of my youth, the sins of my age, the sins of my soul, the sins of my body; my idle sins, my serious voluntary sins, the sins that I know, the sins I have concealed so long and which are now hidden from my memory. I am truly sorry for every sin, mortal and venial, for all the sins of my childhood up to the present hour. I know my sins have wounded Thy tender Heart; O my Savior, let me be freed from the bonds of evil through your most bitter passion. O my Jesus, forget and forgive what I have been. Amen.
BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD
WELCOME TO THE MARRIAGE FEAST OF THE LAMB